Thoughtless
by Emily Clapton
Summary: Thinking is the action that makes humans superior while being impulsive is normally considered a defect, a deficiency. Nevertheles, thinking to much may cause unnecessary confusion... There are many circumstances in which you just have to think about the basics. Expressshipping and Conductorshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Alright, here is my first fic. I do not think it will be popular. The pairings are not common, but I really need to write it anyways!

If anybody reads this, I am not a native English speaker, so excuse me if you find mistakes.

* * *

"Oh, come on Hilbert! I don't feel like going alone. Why don't you want to go with me?"

A pouting girl with curly chocolate hair could be seen poking a frustrated boy's cheek. Hilbert let out an exasperated sigh and grabed the young girl's wrist abruptly, counting to five mentally, trying to calm down a bit and prevent a possible public murder.

"Stop it, Hilda! If you keep doing that, I swear our friendship will be forgotten and so will my sanity" he hissed. Hilda stepped back carefully with her hands up in defence.  
After taking a few breaths, her friend's appearance seemed sort of peaceful.

"Look, I can't go to the Battle Subway today. I would like to, but I can't, ok?" the boy said slowly as he was talking to a kid, pausing to check his Xtransceiver. "You should go alone. I mean, you usually go with me, why don't you try the Single Trains for today?" he asked, still busy with the communication device.

Hilda crossed her arms in a pensive manner and looked down. That meant a possible battle, or at least, a meeting with Ingo. Just thinking about him made her stomach churn with anxiety, but she didn't like going alone.  
Alright, that was a terrible lie. In fact, she'd rather go with someone only to have 'an excuse' for being there. In her mind she needs one.

Don't judge her. That happens to most girls who have a 'little' crush on a man with twice their age -or better said, a crush in general-. They try not to be so obvious.  
Hilbert was Hilda's excuse to hang out with the Subway Bosses at the beggining. Of course that was seven months ago, now there was enough confidence between them, but even so, she felt a little embarrased without 'justification'. The reason 'I'm here to have fun beating the crap out of other trainers' didn't work.

Or at least it didn't in her mind.

"Hilda, are you listening? Stop daydreaming!

"... Eh?"

"Geez! I said I'm leaving! Cheren and Bianca want to take a walk around the city. That girl loves Nimbasa with all her organs" he shivered a little at the thought of the blonde girl and her special love for the Ferriswheel, but he composed quickly. "Anyway, are you coming with us or you prefer the Battle Subway?"

There wasn't much to think about. Hilda really liked the couple and all, but it certainly doesn't compare with how much she likes the oldest Subway Boss.

How weird. She used to be a little afraid of Ingo... And interested at the same time... Actually, both twins scared her to death at first. Hilda just got used to the younger twin, his way of invading people's personal space and his almost permanent smile and good mood. Emmet is like a child in some aspects, a very phsycally developed one. She really likes him, they get along too well. It's funny to have him around, especially when he is through, as Ingo labels it, a 'childish attack'.

In spite of finding the younger Subway Boss too kind, like a bigger brother... The situation was completely different with the older twin. He is so serious at times and even so, Hilda can't help but find him hellishly appealing.

In the past seven months, somehow, she come to like a lot the conversations they both share in the car after he swept it with her pokemon. There were a few times when he had smiled and even chuckled or laughed here and there, totally leaving behind the book he was reading. Maybe she never defeated him, but the chat made up for the lost battle.

She takes the Super Single Trains ocassionally. Last time was two weeks ago. It was too much! She needs to do it again, or at least to see him!

"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU WOMAN?!"

"GAAAAAH!"

Hilbert watched his dreamy friend taking a small startled leap.

"I'M SO SORRY"

"WHEN A PERSON IS TALKING, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LISTEN. DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TEACH YOU THAT?

"Sorry, sorry! But stop yelling. People are looking at us!

Hilbert stopped and took a deep breathe again. "I wonder how much time you would have stayed like that without an interruption... " he sighed. "I'll ask one last time. Are you coming or not?"

"Mmm, no. I'd rather go to the Battle Subway. I want a challenge again" yeah, sure. "Tell the happy couple I say hi"

"Fine. I'll see you later. Try not to leave your body empty again, something bad could happen to you" Hilbert said with a bored expression.

"I can't promise anything, but I'll try. Bye"

He left. Hilda turned around and doubtfully set off to the Gear Station. '_It wouldn't be the first time I'm going on my own, so don't be such a drama queen and just go_'

Yeah, that's the spirit. _'Anyway, my intentions aren't noticeable. I'm just paranoid. Yes, that's it._' The young girl kept walking until she reached her destiny. She managed to silence her mind and unwilling thoughts in the way, gaining a nonchalant attitude. Expectedly, said attitude disappeared just as it came.

She nervously cheeked the time.

13:07

They were in a break, so there wasn't anything wrong if she show up now, was it?  
No, absolutely no. She had done it before, with Elesa, but it had happened. Although hanging out with the twins during their break was the gym leader's idea, there wasn't a reason not to do it alone.

Besides, the younger Subway Boss had offered this to Hilda more than once.

Enough thinking. She was going.

Normally, both men have lunch at Ingo's office where he could read and sign some papers as usual. Not sure why though. On a break you are supposed to take a small rest, but most probably the man didn't know the meaning of the word 'rest'.

The young flustered trainer was making her way to the office when she felt someone grab one of her arms from behind and all at once, the girl was forcedly turned around, lifted in the air and carried on a man's shoulder and suddenly, Hilbert's advice didn't sound so pointless. Fortunately, the person who was carrying her was just an innocent maniac.

"AAAH! Emmet let me gooo!" She was determined to make it sound like an order, but couldn't help laughing.

The Subway Boss was grinning madly, hugging the girl's waist and legs so she couldn't escape.

"Say the magic world~"

"Wha...? No way! Let me go now or I'm going to start kicking!

"SAAAY IT"

Hilda sighed softly. "Please" She said with a resigned but joyful tone.

Her feet finally touched the floor. "You'll never stop doing that, won't you?"

The man in white look down at the teen's playful smile and shooked his head in a teasing manner. "You were going to my brother's office, right?"

"Yeah. I was going to surprise you two, but I guess you are better than me"

Emmet chuckled and put his arm around Hilda's shoulders. "I was heading there too. Let's go"

They walked the short remaining distance to the office together. _'Why am I doing this? I can still escape...'_ The always cheerful man open the door loudly. _'Too late... Nevermind'_

"Brother, look what I brought!"

"Not another lost pokemon, please..."

"Oh, no. This is so much better. Hilda is here!"

"You didn't kidnapp her, did you?"

Emmet giggled. "Nope"

"He tried, though" Hilda said shyly.

The moment she saw the older twin, her face instantly got hotter and her stomach churned oddly. All was nerves at the beggining, as any other day, it was just a matter of time. With a few minutes, the teen would leave behind her sheepishness.

Thank Arceus she met Emmet. It will be easier that way.

The blue eyed girl noticed the man in black was sitting at his desk reading some papers and hadn't looked at her nor his younger brother yet. There was a cup of coffee near the stack of unread papers along with his cap and gloves.

Although Ingo's gaze never left those darn papers, Hilda could see the faint smile on his face after hearing her comment.

The other Subway Boss hung his cap, gloves and coat in the rack right on the corner of the room, then he laid down on the couch below the only window while the trainer looked around the office briefly. She really liked the way it was always organized. Maybe that's why they usually took their break there.

Taking a chair and turning it in the opposite direction of the desk, she sit, resting her crossed arms on its backward and on top of them, her chin.

_'Time to kill the tension'_

"So, have you two eaten?"

"Yes" chirped Emmet, rubbing his face on a cushion. "A nap sounds like a good idea now"

"Don't make yourself so comfortable. We are leaving in ten minutes" Ingo's gaze finally focused on Hilda. "How strange. You are here without Elesa"

Still in the same possition, she shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you. Plus, I was bored."

He chuckled. "I am glad we can entertain you..." the Subway Boss took a pen, signed the paper he had been reading and moved it aside. "I haven't see you in a few days, are you here to challenge me again?"

"She's probably here for a new beating up" said smugly the half-awake man on the couch.

The brown haired girl narrowed her eyes at his nearly sleeping form. "ACTUALLY..." her eyes returned to Ingo. "I'm here to bother you a bit. No challenges. My team needs a rest." she lifted her head and added sarcastically. "If you know what it means."

Ingo raised his eyebrows. Those kind of comments about his non existent tendency to rest will never cease. "Bother me?"

"Yeah. I've been following around that thing too much lately" she pointed to Emmet. "It's your turn now."

A sincere smile appear on the man's face. "As you wish... Now, 'that thing' must get up"

"I'll do it if you say the magic word"

Emmet looked up at his brother with a goofy smile, but finding only a particularly serious frown, he just got up quietly mumbling an 'ok'. Hilda giggled a little at that scene.

Both men put on whatever clothes they had taken off and came back to their duties along with the young trainer.

* * *

All was practically grey. Watching through the window wasn't precisely amusing. Nevertheless, the way the car shook because of a surprisingly change of direction didn't get old and made Hilda feel an odd but not unpleasant feeling. Though, she wasn't sure which was the reason of said sensation: the shaking or his presence.

Except for the engine's sound, the car was silent in a strange comfortable mode. Both people were sitting on the blue seats facing each other and Hilda just wanted to break the incredibly cozy silence and get closer to the man across her.

_'Mmm, let's see. What would Elesa do?'_

Probably, the Gym Leader isn't the best role model in this case, considering she is good at attracting men but not at keeping them... Well, in fact, the blonde woman isn't interested on keeping them at all... And she have known the twins for years. A very different situation.

For an unknown reason, Hilda stood up and sat next to Ingo, with her hands on her thighs, their legs slightly touching.

She didn't know where the courage came from.

The trainer seemed a little flustered when he looked at her and then at their legs, but somehow she overcame it.

"You aren't reading a book. Weird"

_'Where the hell did that come from?'_

The corner of his lips raised and he looked at her. "I have been reading too much recently, I think my eyes may be a bit tired"

Hilda gazed intently at his face. "No. You are tired and it doesn't surprise me. Staying until two in the morning reading those damn papers and sleeping less than five hours isn't healthy"

"It is part of my work"

The blue eyed girl crossed her arms. "Do you take a nap, at least?"

"Unwittingly, only. I am not supposed to sleep while I am working" he answered, looking away.

"Workaholic" Hilda mumbled, looking away too.

The Subway Boss looked at their legs again and felt heat rushing to his face. _'She doesn't seem to care...'_

Without thinking clearly, he moved his leg softly, brushing hers a bit more. Hilda's heart started to beat quickly, but joined his action anyway, moving even closer. She wasn't sure if the man was doing it on purpose

Ingo gasped weakly and the girl next to him blushed madly.

They brushed legs for a whole minute. The motion was so slow, so unnoticed. If there had been people there, they surely wouldn't have realized what was going on. Just them could feel it and despite of not being totally on their minds, they knew the other was allowing it to happen. It was a mutual action and felt unbelievably good... Until the man in black realized what the two were doing.

What he was doing.

Moving aside, he ended the suggestive touch. Their gazes met for a brief moment and then, both of them looked away terribly flustered. They stayed in silence for a long time. Hilda mentally prayed for a challenger to enter the car right now, but today she wasn't so lucky.

Ingo turned his gaze to the embarrazed young trainer again. "Are you considering challenging the League Champion? You have already won all the badges a long time ago" he asked in a desperate manner to leave behind the awkward tension.

Understandng his intention, she nervously played along "Eh... I-I've considered it, yes, b-but Alder is a tough opponent... I mean, he's the Champion... Besides, I couldn't defeat you yet. I-I don't think I'm ready"

Hearing her stuttering meant that Ingo should try harder to reach his purpose. "But you are close to defeat me" he said honestly catching her full attention.

"... What makes you think that?"

"Our battles. You are the only adversary who manages to defeat my first two pokemon, aside from Emmet and Elesa"

"Yeah, your Chandelure is way to strong. Samurott did his best last time and still he couldn't win"

"But you two were excellent. I dare to say you almost win"

"Thank you" Hilda put her arms behind her head. "You know, someday I'll beat you up... And when that happens, Alder is going to be the next"

Ingo let out a chuckle. "I wish you good luck"

They carry on speaking of different toppics all the way, but didn't move from where both were sitting and they certainly didn't talk about 'the moment', as if it never had happened.

After all, there will be enough time to think about that later.


	2. Chapter 2

Thunder were echoing through the night. The wind was blowing quite hard and lightning were flashing in the clouded sky. It wasn't raining yet, but undoubtedly, a downpour was coming. Outside the Gear Station, Hilda watched the whole show, shivering slightly and wondering why suddenly the night was so cold in the middle of spring.

Lately, the girl had been staying at home to accompany her mother during the morning and have a rest. Travelling was refreshing, and she needed more practice to face the Pokémon League, but screw it -for now-. Hilda missed terribly to sleep at home and be with her mother for a while, at least. It had been almost one year without her. Besides, she had gone around the region and trained during her 'recess' too, but always came back at night.

One can assume that the last thing would be complicated today.

She should have gone home earlier, but having such a good time didn't let her mind think about leaving and, at any rate, there wasn't a possible way to predict the fierce storm before it started, since the afternoon had been bright and enjoyable, especially for her.

At last, thinking about excuses and how obvious it could be her actions or not wasn't useful at all. The young girl had spent hours with Ingo and was able to watch all the battles. She tried very hard not laugh in his opponent's faces when they lost but nobody put up a good fight exactly. It was funny to see how they cursed at the air after their pokémon missed an attack or the soulless expression on their once confident faces. Hilda doesn't like to witness people's misfortune, still some of them looked just pathetic. Perhaps she hadn't won yet but a good battle couldn't be discussed. On the contrary, those ones were undistinguished, as if they didn't put enough effort.

How interesting it would be to challenge him again after seeing his strategies from another angle.

"Hilda, you are shivering! Do you want my coat?"

The trainer turned around to face the twins. Apparently, they had already checked all was in order and were ready to go.

"No, I'm okay Emmet. Don't worry! Besides, I'm already leaving"

The younger twin crossed his arms and stared at her with a deathly serious expression. Hilda thought it should be included on her personal list about the murkier things ever seen.

"It's twelve o'clock and it's going to be a storm. Do you actually think I'll let you go?"

"… Yes?"

"It was a rhetorical question and you know it! YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" he shouted.

Hilda was sort of astonished. That man wasn't supposed to shout in reality and if that ever occur, it should be in different circumstances such as one of his idiotic arguments with Elesa, which would rather turn into a winless brawl.

"Chill out! Nothing will happen!" She assured, making a motion with her hand to show calmness.

The taller man narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. "You'll stay with us" he ordered and looked at his brother behind him. "Right, Ingo?"

Ingo widened his eyes and froze for a second. Although he didn't want something bad to happen to Hilda... There was no way she was going to stay with them. For some unknown reason, he didn't expect a situation like that to end so well. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the young girl managed to psych him out in the afternoon, and it was most probably to happen again.

"I... don't think it is a good idea"

"WHAT?! Why not?! She can't go flying, it could be dangerous!"

Well, Emmet had a point. Flying on your Swanna's back during an apocalyptic storm sounds kind of risky. It didn't matter how many times Hilda had done it before, if both of them could prevent an incident, they would, but there were a few concerns for the older of the two.

"I am aware of the danger, but… I don't believe her mother would like the idea of her daughter staying the night with two men"

"Hey, problem solved! I can stay at the Pokémon Center!"

"And what did you solve exactly? A lot of trainers are going to stay the night there if a storm is coming. There won't be an available room."

"He is… Right" Ingo admitted.

"Wow, that must have killed you inside, brother… Anyways, do you accept, Hilda?" the younger twin went on.

"But I don't want to be a bother"

"You won't! Plus, you promised me that you would stay someday! Please!"

The trainer looked at the pleading man's face. All the remainders of his transient seriousness were gone, replaced by those damn puppy eyes. She just couldn't say no to them.

_'Crap, I hate his power to get all he wants'_. Hilda let out a sigh and glanced at Ingo. "And what do you say? Would I be a bother?

The tone of her voice made him wonder if he had been a bit uncouth. Perhaps she misunderstood his intention.

"No, of course not. I would like you to stay with us" he said honestly but still a little worried. Deep inside, something was screaming he was going to regret it.

The blue eyed girl crossed her arms and glanced at Emmet with a weak smile. "Well, you got what you wanted"

"As usual" he chuckled. "Now, we should go. I mean, I'd rather have a shower at home"

Emmet took of his coat and handed it to Hilda, she reluctantly accepted it and then put it on. The cackle she heard only encouraged the fact that it looked ridiculously huge on her. It dangled just a few inches above the floor, the collar was a little high and its sleeves were way to long. Her eyes narrowed in the direction of the man who had no intentions on holding his laugh, and then started waking. "Can't we just go?"

Both men followed after her, one smiling at how cute and innocent seemed the young girl and the other laughing irrepressibly.

* * *

They entered with quite wet clothes. It just took less than fifteen minutes to arrive, but it had started to rain when they were practically by the corner. The taller men and the girl stepped in the lift. Their clothes weren't terribly damp, but it was rather annoying, as if it were heavier. Hilda took off the large coat, handed it to its respective owner mumbling an almost inaudible 'thank you' and immediately removed her cap. Her hair was lightly messy due to the wind and the previous removal. The rain did its work too.

"Damn it, we were so close" mumbled the younger twin looking down at his wet clothes, his soaked coat hanging on his left arm.

"It could have gone worse" Ingo said aloud, setting his eyes on the girl in front of him. Her gaze was lost, looking down at nothing in particular, a strand of damp hair on her face. He raised his hand and barely touched her cheek, moving away the lock of chocolate hair. Hilda looked at him, somehow forcing him to lower his hand. It wasn't her intention but that's what he believed.

The lift reached the fifth floor and they stepped out. Ingo pulled out a key from his pocket, opened a nearby door and entered to the apartment, his brother and the trainer following after him.

Hilda looked around, the place was simple but very nice and cozy. The current room had a picture window on the right side, there was a door next to it, in the corner, which directed to the balcony. Next to the huge window where positioned a couch and two armchairs in front of the TV. A small table with a lamp on it was beside the couch.

On the left side, there was a large shelf with some books and decorative objects and alongside, there was an arch that led to a different room. Hilda supposed it was the kitchen, since she saw a fridge and kitchen cabinets from where she was standing.

In the opposite direction of the main door, there was another arch. This one led to a hall which connected the living room with the rest of the place. Two doors could be seen facing each other, one directed to bathroom while the other directed to a 'study room'. The end of the hall was divided in two directions where the men's rooms where.

The walls were completely white and the floor was dark wooden. You could see the intense storm through the picture window. Probably, the sight wasn't impressive, considering the city was full of buildings, but it was quite likeable.

The whole place seemed too organized.

"Would you like some coffee, Hilda?" asked Ingo.

"No, it's okay. Thank you..." the girl paused and clutched her cap softly. "Who drinks coffee before going to sleep, anyways?

"He does" said Emmet, leaving his coat, cap and gloves on an armchair.

_'Of course he does'_ thought the girl, rolling her eyes. The man was a coffee addict and that will never change.

Emmet sat down on the couch and kicked off his shoes. Taking the remote control, which was on the aforementioned small table, he turned the TV on and tapped the space next to him, looking at the blue eyed girl. "Come here, we'll find something good to watch"

"Yes! I haven't watched TV for a long time!" Hilda smiled widely and rushed to the couch, sitting and resting her cap next to her. She had been at home recently, but the TV was kind of forgotten.

Ingo went to the kitchen while they looked for a programme, a film or something that could be worthy to watch.

By that time, the storm didn't sound so terrible now, but a few thunders could be hear every now and then.

"Hey, go back one channel"

"... What's this, Hilda?"

"Haven't you see it? It is about a boy who travels through all regions. I used to watch this show before I went on my own journey. It's pretty popular"

"Aah, I have seen it... But I think this episode is an old one"

The screen showed a confident boy with spiky hair commanding a Pikachu. Apparently, the trainer was confronting someone essential.

"Hilda..."

The girl looked quickly at Ingo. He was holding a cup of coffee, a serious expression, as usual. "Yeah?"

"Will you be fine sleeping on the couch? Because you may sleep in my bedroom, if you..."

"Or in mine!" the man in the couch interrupted without taking his eyes off the screen.

"Forget it, your room is a disaster! She won't sleep there."

The petite girl on the couch laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be okay here"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Do you know where I have slept before? A couch sounds like paradise. Besides, it doesn't matter how little you sleep, you should sleep on your bed not in the couch"

"But my brother didn't say he would sleep on the couch" the younger twin teased, elbowing her and grinning.

Hilda looked at him nervously with eyes wide opened, her cheeks flushed badly. She hit him on the arm as hard as she could.

Ingo tried to hide his blush, covering his face with just one hand. "Emmet..."

The younger Subway Boss was giggling and stroking his arm at the same time. "I'm sorry! I couldn't resist it... You should see your faces"

The flustered man let out a sigh. "Don't go to sleep so late, please. You won't wake up on time if you do"

"As you wish, my dear brother"

Hilda watched the man in black went down the hall. She sighed and looked at Emmet. "You are such moron. I sometimes feel like kicking you in your most sensitive body part"

"Oh, you are so sweet. I love you too"

Hilda narrowed her eyes at him for the second time that night, but decided it was better to simply ignore it. "So, tell me what time is he going to sleep?"

"I don't know. Maybe two or three in the morning." He answered with a shrug, his gaze never leaving the screen.

"Why so late? Does he suffer from insomnia?

"No, he does my paperwork... I tried to convince him to stop more than once but it was in vain"

Hilda was sort of confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Ingo doesn't want me to do my part, as it should be, thus I can sleep more. As I need to wear glasses to read, he prefers to do it himself. My brother shows affection by those kind of actions"

"Well, your brother doesn't resemble a man who shows affection hugging or something that implies physical contact" Hilda commented, her mind remembering a certain moment along the afternoon but blocked it immediately. That wasn't an appropriate time to think about 'physical contact'.

"No, that's what I do. His way is more meaningful… And in the past, it used to be worse. For example, he used to cover me at work if I was too tired. At first it was okay to have a 'free day' every so often but it came to a point where I started to feel guilty. Even though he never complied, this work is for two people"

The girl was kind of shocked, as if she had heard a confession that nobody should have revealed. Most of the time, Ingo didn't expose himself as a caring person. In contrast, he seemed pretty distant.

Hilda let her head rest on Emmet's lap, her legs bent, trying to not to touch the couch with her boots. In response, he caressed her hair.

She knew Ingo was rather self-contained and... Somehow complex. Regardless of how much time they spent, there wasn't a specific way to learn about him. She could speak to Emmet and that would be enough to figure out his personality, his likes or dislikes, way of thinking, ISSUES. In spite of looking 'happy' as usual, Hilda acknowledged that the younger twin could be depressed sometimes or that he was capable of having a serious conversation if it was really -and I mean really- necessary.

On the other hand, Ingo needed more observation. You can't really know him by words, you must pay attention to every single action or expression. The faint smiles, unusual laughter, frown and particularly penetrating glares. All is important, and Hilda likes it this way, but what she likes most is finally get to discover more about him.

"I always thought his way to show affection was by important actions, although I wasn't so sure. Anyway, we should watch TV and stop talking about your brother. I know him enough, and he will rip out your limbs if he finds out about this conversation..." the blue eyed girl warned and then focused on the programme one more time.

"One by one" Emmet chuckled. He returned his attention to the TV and kept caressing her hair in a slow motion.

Speaking about him wasn't required. Eventually, Hilda will find out more about him on her own, as she had been doing in the past seven months.

* * *

The storm seemed to be fading.

A pedestal lamp illuminated the obscure study room. The older twin was sitting at the desk without his coat, gloves, cap and tie. Ingo had read the paper two times and he still couldn't concentrate on what was written on it. He only knew it had something to do with a minor problem in one of the lines. He was also conscious of the not so frequent thunder, but the more he was able to hear were his own thoughts about her. Instead of doing what he was supposed to, the man was playing in his head that moment in the afternoon again and again.

On the surface, the contact wasn't suggestive. Actually, it was almost innocent. The problem were the intentions behind, they were so... Stimulating. He had wanted to hug her, to feel her skin, inhale her scent, kiss her all over after and before it happened. All these sensations were a consequence of his own body. For some reason, Ingo desired her touch badly and that made him sick and disgusted with himself. Hilda was just fifteen years old, for god's sake!

He was twenty-nine, practically twice her age! There was just one word to describe a posture like that but the more he thought about it, the more repugnant he felt. How had this happened? Ingo have considered she is beautiful since they first met, regardless of her lack of external femininity, but it was supposed to remain platonic. Despite Hilda's smart and lovely nature, there wasn't an excuse to feel that way about such a young girl.

On his good days, Ingo would allow his thoughts to convince him it was all a trick created by his own mind, while on his bad days, thoughts would be filled with lust, desire and unacceptable WRONGNESS and... Damn it! The man had finished reading the report for the third time only to realize he hadn't paid attention at all. This freaking moral dilemma was distracting him to no end.

Defeated, Ingo rested his elbows on the desk and laid his forehead on his palms. There was so much that needed to be read or signed and he haven't even accomplished half of his work due to his absent-minded state. Otherwise, on a 'good day', he would have already finished.

"I'll never understand why Ash didn't accept to be a Frontier Brain..."

After hearing his brother's voice coming from the hall, Ingo came back to reality.

It seemed Emmet wasn't alone.

"I told you, he didn't accept because the show would have ended too soon"

"Even so, I insist. Well, are you sure you will be okay?"

"Yes, don't worry and go to get some rest. I saw you about to fall asleep several times!"

"Fine, fine! My room it's down the hall, to the right, just in case. Feel free to take something from the fridge or whatever..."

"I suppose I won't do that, but thank you. See you in the morning"

All he could hear next were steps and a door opening, then closing, but he couldn't locate where Hilda might be. The older twin tried to leave behind all thoughts connected with her and focused for the fourth time on the report.

It worked... Until he remembered a certain girl would be sleeping on his couch. He slumped on the backrest and looked at the roof, grunting mildly. That last thought had just hit him, she was actually staying the night.

Silence cracked when someone knocked at the barely open door. Not by chance she was asleep, it seemed.

"May I come in?"

Ingo swallowed hard. He knew what was coming. "... Yes"

Hilda slowly opened the door to the full extent, stepped in and closed it without turning around. She looked at the empty cup near the papers and then at the taller man sitting at the desk chair. He looked rather tired and stressed.

"Why in the world aren't you sleeping?" Hilda asked, putting her hands on her hips. An expression close to a frown was plastered on her face.

The Subway Boss felt his stomach twist at the mere sight of the girl and her expression without the cap. For some reason, she resembled a not so childish appearance, as if she was... A young woman. A very, very appealing young woman. In his eyes, she looked more attractive than serious, which unfortunately promoted more negative verdicts against himself.

"I should probably ask you the same question" he teased in an attempt to hide his yearning for the girl in front of him.

Hilda narrowed her eyes and took a few steps to the desk. "Go to sleep, NOW" she commanded. Each world announced with firmness.

"It is not so late, Hilda" he protested, never moving his eyes away from hers. The blue eyed girl leaned her hands on the desk and bowed a little with the same expression on her face. Ingo couldn't figure out if he was going through a delirium or if the person facing him was the real Hilda. He didn't have an explanation to the sudden physical difference, but he did knew it was a product of his imagination.

He had been previously thinking about their age gap, his unwitting dark thoughts, the wrongness and HER. Of course his urges would soon be uncontrollable. Hilda was just sending him to sleep, but the man couldn't help paying so much attention to her beauty and his not suitable reactions. How much he likes and desires her isn't important because the wickedest matter is he wants that to be mutual.

"Didn't you notice that it's three in the morning?"

Ingo looked at the clock hanging in the dark grey wall to check the time. Had he really been trying to read for three hours with no accomplishment? Had he been thinking that much?

"Actually, I didn't" the man admitted. "So, if that is what you want, I will go to sleep"

Feeling relieved, the girl smiled and stepped back a bit from the desk. "You chose to obey, how wise" she said smugly.

The Subway Boss raised his eyebrows and then took a pen. "But give me five more minutes, please"

Hilda growled loudly and sat down on the nearby couch. She doubted it were five literal minutes. "Okay, I'll wait here then"

Ingo nodded and looked down, writing something while Hilda looked around the room. She definitely liked that one more. Although the living room was nice, the study room was more relaxing and the darkness made it a better place to sleep. There was a large shelf full of books next to her and two long vertical windows with obscure red curtains on the wall behind the desk.

Once finished the examination, Hilda let out a yawn, covering her mouth with one hand. By that time, the storm had already vanished, leaving only the strong chilly wind. Deciding that 'five minutes' would turn into half and hour -if she was lucky-, the young trainer took the two cushions to rest her head and laid down carefully so her boots wouldn't touch part of the couch.

Eventually, the sound of the wind and the clock ticking became a sort of 'lullaby', thus the girl fell asleep without realization only to be awaken shortly by a hand fondling her arm. Blue eyes snapped open to find a crouched man in front of them who smiled warmly. "You fell asleep"

Hilda raised her head a bit, supporting on her elbow. She rubbed her right eye with her hand, smiling back at Ingo. "It's not my fault, you said five minutes"

The hand which was stroking her arm moved to her shoulder, resuming the caress in that area. "I am sorry. It took me ten minutes instead of five"

"You mean I slept for ten minutes?" she asked with widened eyes. "It felt like hours"

"How strange, because..." he noticed Hilda was staring at his hand and briefly removed it. "... Because I believe you weren't completely asleep. We are speaking about ten minutes" the man continued.

"Let's just say I wasn't conscious. Now, what are you waiting for? Go to sleep"

"Why are you so worried about my sleep habits?"

Hilda put a confused face. "I told you, it isn't healthy to sleep less than six hours per day. If something bad happen to you due to the lack of sleep, you could die and if you die, Emmet will die next. In other words, I don't you two to die"

Ingo couldn't help laughing after hearing such a dramatic and exaggerated answer. "I would rather only consider the main idea of something bad happening to me"

"Well, I'm glad you got my point" she chuckled and then looked directly into his eyes, smiling.

It was incredible. She had to merely look at him in that way and all those unappropriated thoughts would haunt his poor mind in a split second. It wasn't that Ingo wanted to... Commit a crime, but just wanting to fondle or hug her was terribly wrong for him because in the end, he knew those displays of affection in question led to a more meaningful one.

Anyways, it wasn't the problem. He was a human being after all, but why her and not a woman of his age? He didn't know what to think anymore and obviously, there wasn't a way to stop his craving for the young trainer, no matter how much he suppressed his wants. The only thing he could do was to resist as much as possible.

"You should sleep in my room, Hilda. The apartment is usually quiet cold and today it is even worse"

"Look, we discussed this two hours ago and my response is the same. On the other hand, I'd like to sleep here, if you don't mind"

"Here?"

"Yes, if I turn off the lamp, the room would be pretty obscure and I love darkness"

"As you wish" the Subway Boss got up from his crouching position "I will bring a blanket for you"

He opened the door and left the room. Hilda took the opportunity to sit up and contemplate her right arm, the one Ingo had been caressing. She bit her lower lip and added a mental note to her system: 'Never gaze at the physical contact point'. It seemed the man felt awkward if she did that, so he would stop. Perhaps there wasn't contact all the time, but if a chance appeared she needed to take advantage of it.

With that last statement, she felt like the most desperate and obsessed person in all Unova.

Damn hormones.

Some steps were heard and the older twin emerged through the door again with a checkered blanket hanging on his arm. He left it on the couch next to Hilda and knelt one more time, leaning on just one knee. He grabbed her foot and started to untie the laces of the girl's boot, much to her surprise.  
At last, Hilda couldn't prevent the soft laughter that came out from her mouth. "What are you doing?" she asked him, still laughing.

When the laces were loose enough, Ingo took off her boot and placed it on the floor. "You are a smart person, I think you know what I am doing" he joked, grabbing her other foot.

With a rolled of her eyes, Hilda corrected herself. "I mean, why are doing this?"

The man repeated the process with the remaining boot, untying the pink laces. "Until now, you didn't take them off, so I thought I should do it"

He finally took it off. Hilda chuckled at his answer and both stood up at the same time. "That was funny in both known senses, Ingo, but thank you"

The Subway Boss smiled at the blue eyed girl and cupped her face gently with one hand, earning a startled gasp. He raised his other hand, moved her side swept bangs and rested it on her cheek. Without hesitation, Ingo pressed his lips to her forehead meanwhile Hilda froze in place.

He moved away his lips just the slightest bit and inhaled her scent, closing his eyes then exhaling weakly. The young trainer was about to suffer a heart-attack, but when she felt his breath, Hilda managed to look up at him and shortly after, the taller man kissed her forehead again and let go.

Ingo didn't know what the heck inside his system forced him to kiss her, but he didn't regretted it -yet-. It was something innocent and he really needed it.

He begged that thought remains the same way tomorrow, because if it changed, his head would explode.

"I will see you in the morning, Hilda"

"Yeah... Good night"

And he left again, this time closing the door. The trainer walked to the lamp, turned it off and made her way to the couch, laying down and covering with the blanket. The only thing that illuminated the room was the little nocturnal light coming through the curtains. Hilda looked at the roof and recalled the tender moment, smiling. She couldn't actually believe what had happened, it felt as if she was too lucky to be her, but it just did and was going to gnaw her head mercilessly until she go insane.

For sure, Hilda didn't want to put her faith so high thinking about the unknown reasons that led him to kiss her forehead in such an affectionate way, but she wanted it to happen again.

And she hoped it happen again.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Here it is, chapter three. It is quite long, so I am sorry if somebody who is reading prefers shortness. It just came like this xD

I appreciate reviews, all of them, including guests! Thank you very much for encouraging me!

There is someone that made an interesting question I would like to asnwer (and it is a good opportunity to warn all of you)

**ChickenWithChips: **This story is rated T for now, but yes, it will move up to M in the future. Nevertheless, I think that stories about an adult and a teen relationship do not have to be M, it is actually possible to write one without certain themes, depending on the writer, of course. Like you, mature fics do not disturb me and that is why this one in particular is going to change rating at some point. Oh, and I have to tell you: SHE appears now! In a very bad mood, but she appears! *yay*

**Warning:** (Just in case) The beggining of this chapter is a little suggestive (though nothing really serious). Feel free to skip it if you do not like... spicy food... ?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokémon.

There is nothing more to say, so enjoy!

* * *

"Hey, wake up." A feminine voice whispered.

Ingo frowned and tensed his shoulders. He wasn't a man who loved to sleep, but when he was asleep, it was better - or convenient - not to wake him up.

"Ingo, wake up." The familiar voice commanded, louder.

The Subway Boss woke up completely, snapping his eyes open, and even though he was confused and darkness surrounded the room, he recognized the girl who was precisely sitting on top of him. Her curly hair was down in lieu of the usual ponytail, her knees were pressing on the mattress and her hands innocently resting on her tights.

Her chestnut hair down suited her more. It allowed her to look as if she were a few years older and, in addition, watching Hilda from that angle made her young and delicate figure all the more admirable. Perhaps her body was still very young and not so developed as other girls, but it was enough to drive him insane. The girl looked just gorgeous and hellishly desirable into his eyes, but his main reaction was an exceptionally bemused face.

Half of his brain was working properly yet.

"Hilda? What...? Why are you sitting on me?"

_'And why didn't I feel her weight? I am not a heavy sleeper, how didn't she wake me before?'_

The blue eyed girl tilted her head to the side in an adorable manner and moved her hands to his torso. "I'm sorry, didn't want to wake you..." She leaned a little and began to move her hands temptingly along his abdomen, practically straddling him. "But I'm so cold in the study room. May I sleep here, please?"

Hilda earned a feeble gasp from the man beneath her. He could perfectly feel her touch through the fabric of his grey T-shirt and that only worked up his urges and stomach stirring. "Y-yes, sure. I-I will go to the living if you... get off."

Leaning closer to his face and dragging her hands to his chest, Hilda's lips curved upwards, forming a hussy smile. Her fingers caressed softly the area in an unsteady motion as Ingo let out deeper and more frequent gasps. "But I don't want you to leave, the bed would be cold..." She shifted slightly and brought closer her face. "Come on, I need you to stay." The young trainer breathed suggestively.

The man bit his lower lip and moved her hands away with his own. He was overly temped, but there were still lingering thoughts about how immoral the situation was and how he shouldn't give in to his sinful desires. "No, I am not going to stay..." He received a hurt look but proceeded in a serious tone nonetheless. "Now, get off, please, or I will be bound to push you."

He pressed his hands to her shoulders and sat up slowly, expecting to keep away her face, but the young girl didn't show any sign of moving from his lap whereas straddling him with a blank expression on her face seemed far more fitting. Ingo sighed and gave a gentle push to her knees. "Please, move. We can't sleep on the same bed, it wouldn't be correct. You may sleep here, but you must let me go first."

No response came from her mouth. As words weren't helping to get what she wanted, Hilda chose not to speak anymore and shoved him down into the mattress, his head hitting the pillow harshly in the process. The moment she brought her alluring face closer and he felt her soft hands all over his chest again, all previous thoughts were temporarily left aside. Her face was only inches away from his, too close for their own good.

Her own good.

Ingo only could look at her with wide eyes and mouth lightly open while he breathed heavily. The Subway Boss was about to speak, but was cut off when Hilda rested her hand on his cheek and abruptly led her lips to his jawline.

She kissed, licked and sucked pointedly, gaining several deep but low groans from the man. He was on the verge of finally giving in, and the arousing assault didn't give a chance to think straightly about its consequences.

But eventually, during all the kissing, his brain came back and tried to take control of the internal battle between reasoning and desire, much to his surprise.

Still gasping for air, Ingo grabbed her arms and clenched them, forcing her to come to a halt and give him some space. The frustrated girl looked down at him; she was losing her patience.

"Hilda, stop this nonsense! Don't you realize what you are doing?" He paused to take a breath. "And anyways, why are you doing this? What has got into you?"

Nothing made sense to him, her attitude changed too fast and she had never been that daring.

Struggling a little, Hilda managed to free her arms quickly from his firm grasp and proceed to lean over the man one more time, straddling him fiercely and pinning his shoulders to the mattress with her hands until she heard a shaky whimper coming from his throat.

"I'll make my point clearer..." She started, shortening the gap between their faces, noses almost touching. "I need to sleep near you, to touch you, to have you. I want it and you too, so forget about that damn this-is-wrong bullshit and make something to stop our craving for once and all! ENOUGH FOR YOU?" The trainer blurted, grinding against him.

Ingo moaned in guilty pleasure. He could feel her hot breath on his face and her speech caused an important impact on his body, as if it were something physical rather than spoken words. He didn't know what his hands should exactly do and that could only imply his brain was losing the battle once more. "Y-You didn't m-mean it, you don't know what you are saying." The man stammered in a weak attempt to resist, uttering a mental curse when he unwittingly shifted and she pressed even more against him. "Y-You are too young and unexperienced to state such a thing" he added between excited gasps.

Hilda shook her head in disapproval. "Forget about my age and lack of experience! It doesn't matter..." She smirked seductively at him and put a hand around his face and the other on his chest. "Because I'm perfectly capable of being turned on by you despite my current age and experience."

This was becoming too much for the Subway Boss, he could see lust and determination in those beautiful blue eyes and all he wanted was to touch her the same way she did, but it was hard to ignore those thoughts telling him otherwise and the guilt they brought.

"Hilda, I can't... We shouldn't... AAH!"

He was unexpectedly interrupted by her lips sucking all over his neck and couldn't help the boisterous moan escaping his throat. Unintentionally, his hands landed on her hips while Hilda kissed and nibbled the area without rest, dragging her teeth to feel the skin as much as possible.

Heavy gasps and ill-timed groans were impossible to avoid, but even so, when the hand on his chest travelled to his side and the kisses started to nearly burn his neck, increasing the aching yearning he felt in his whole body, Ingo clutched her clothes and tried to convince her one last time.

"Wait, Hilda, wait." He managed to catch her attention, therefore the kisses coming to a stop. "T-Think about it, is this really what you want? You may regret..."

"I WON'T!" She attacked his neck once again, biting rather aggressively until the man let out a hoarse moan. "Right now, I want exactly this. It doesn't matter what is going to happen later." Hilda put her hands in the pillow, at the sides of his face and straddled his waist, shifting continuously. "I won't regret it, because regardless of how this ends, sometime I would had wished to be with you." She whispered and then resumed her work on his abused neck.

The Subway Boss was in a daze, still clutching her clothes and moaning repeatedly, but he didn't seem to be giving in to the full extent yet.

And Hilda noticed.

The girl had pretended to be naive, aggressive, dominant, tempting and had tried to convince him by true words and some pleas. She even was devouring his neck, practically, and none of them worked to achieve what she wanted.

The only alternative was to keep trying. When she saw a few marks on his pale skin, her teeth dragged all the way until her mouth reached his ear.

Hilda sucked, licked and nipped at his earlobe without hesitation, flicking her tongue every now and then. Ingo couldn't help groaning exaltedly at this; he really wasn't expecting it. His second reaction was to unwittingly apply pressure to the grip on her hips, thus the girl bore him down even more - if that was even possible -.

"Hilda, stop, for god's sake." The worn-out man panted.

"Please, don't make this so hard, just give in..." The girl took his earlobe between her teeth and licked it slowly, earning another blaring moan and a strong squeeze to her hips. "And do whatever you want with me." She purred in his ear, sliding one hand under his T-shirt and caressing his abdomen softly.

And with that, he lost it.

His abstinence could go to hell, forget about morals and screw society and whatever opinions people have.

In a swift and almost violent movement, Hilda was the one being pressed into the mattress, her chestnut hair all scattered on the pillow and cheeks somewhat flushed. She looked delightful.

Ingo rubbed desperately as much of his body as he could against her smaller one, eliciting uncountable gasps from the trainer. His hands brushed her sides in the boldest manner and she hugged him tightly, stroking his back and mewling with pleasure.

There weren't words to describe how all felt by this point, but it was so pleasing that he regretted not having done it before. He hungrily kissed and licked the hollow of her throat, feeling the pulse hammering which was the perfect indicator of the girl's arousal along with the cute sounds she made. Hilda burrowed a hand in his hair, pulling blandly, encouraging the eager man to fondle her more, to explore her with his hands, to hold her impossibly closer and to kiss her until death.

No more time needed to be wasted.

If both wanted this, they would have it.

... ... ...

Ingo woke up and sat up quickly, panting and looking around to spot Hilda, but she was nowhere to be seen. It seemed all had been a dream - one of THOSE dreams - and the sickening feeling came back to scene again. He had dreamt of her a lot of times, however, that dream in particular was way too bawdy and explicit. Never, since he met her, had his unwilled fantasies got to the point of that kind of physical interaction, hence he was beginning to panic and feel like he needed psychological assistant.

Ingo gazed at the alarm-clock. It was half past five in the morning so he had less than thirty minutes to sleep a little more. Finding pointless the idea of sleeping, he moved to the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing frustratingly. _'What is wrong with me? I can't feel that for her, not even in my dreams, it's too much.'_

He knew exactly what was going to happen next in that dream. Grunting, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled a bit as a reprimand. It wasn't allowed to wish for something like that or even dream about Hilda in such an impure way, it simply crossed the line.

The man got up from the bed, took his shirt, black pants, shoes and left the room. A very cold shower was what he needed.

... ...

The study-room wasn't so dark anymore. It had rained a lot a few hours ago but still a dull light illuminated the apartment through the windows. Laying on the couch, Hilda felt like returning to consciousness. She stretched and open her eyes, blinking twice to adjust her vision. Once able to see clearly, she spotted Ingo standing near the door. He looked wearier than normal and also a bit startled; his hair was barely damp.

Most probably his presence woke up the trainer.

"Good morning." She saluted and sat up, moving the blanket aside.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you." The girl checked the clock in front of her. "Actually, I would have liked to sleep some more but I guess you refer to comfort." She leant forward, extended her arm towards the floor and draw her boots closer to put them on, but stopped her actions when an idea cross her mind. "Umm, Ingo... Were you watching me sleep?"

Uh-uh, that struck a nerve.

The man gulped and flushed slightly. "... N-No, no, I was going to wake you to have breakfast, but you got ahead by coincidence..." He stuttered, which was half-true. Of course, she had distracted him and Ingo watched her for two or three minutes, but Hilda didn't have to know that. "... If you are still tired, I will leave my key so you may sleep more and go home later. Next time we meet, you hand it back."

"Really? Wow! When did we become so confident?"

"It isn't as if you were going to steal our TV." He chuckled. "I trust you enough."

Hilda finished tying the laces and looked at him, laughing a little. "I appreciate that immensely" She stood up and walked to him. "But it wouldn't be fair. I think it is an abuse, and I promised your brother to accompany him today as well."

"Alright, you are going with us then. Did Emmet tell you about his dental appointment?"

"No, he didn't. What's his problem?"

"He has an important decay which is too late to treat at this time. It have already started to hurt, thus the affected tooth must be removed."

"Ah, I understand why you don't let him eat so much sweets now."

"Is the first reason, the second are the side effects produced by big amounts of sugar on him, but we can speak about that later." Ingo waved his hand to drop the subject and earned a chuckle from the girl. "He has to go after lunch, so my question is if you are going home or... staying with me."

The trainer clasped her hands together behind her back and grinned, blushing the slightest bit. "Bothering you again sounds very tempting, I should stay with you." She teased.

He smiled back at her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You can't bother me." His hands moved to the sides of her face and their gazes met, increasing the soft blush on the girl's cheeks. "Stop those comments, I like to have you around." The man told her, breaking the contact.

Soon after, Hilda threw her arms around his back with no choice but to rest her head in his chest due to the height difference. Ingo doubted for a second, but eventually embraced her, laying one hand on her waist and the other higher, precisely on her back. In comparison with hers, his hug was rather weak yet very kind.

The blue eyed girl looked up at him fondly, resting her chin on his chest. "You are way too tall."

"You are way too short."

_'And way too beautiful'_ A voice inside his head whispered.

"Oh, shut up! I'm average height" She protested playfully and let go of him.

He let go as well. "I won't discuss that with you" the man said and opened the nearby door. "Hilda, do me a favor: wake up my brother and then both of you go to the kitchen, please. I know you are planning something mischievous, so have fun." Ingo added and immediately after went to the kitchen.

"... This is going to be epic." She said aloud and rushed to Emmet's room, but suddenly the word 'privacy' echoed in her head and she decided to knock softly, just in case.

No response came, so she entered the room carefully. Hilda looked around and noticed the place wasn't a terrible mess itself, as Ingo had said, though that was most probably thanks to the older twin and his tidiness. Without a definite plan, she approached the bed quickly and launched herself on the sleeping man who woke up very confused by the impact. He turned around and found Hilda, only to receive a hard bite on his shoulder.

"AH! You little brat!" He yelled in a mix of pain and joy. "Why?"

"You deserved it! How many times have you licked or bitten me? It was the perfect moment for revenge." The girl answered, laughing loudly.

"Yeah, when I'm sleeping, that's so fair and brave." He joked with a contagious smile, pushing her kindly and moving to make some space for the girl.

Hilda understood what he wanted, so she laid down on her side next to him, laughing softly. "You always take advantage of height and strength difference between us. You can't speak about fairness here."

"Forget the fairness, I was having a nice dream and you interrupted, that's more important..." Emmet brought her closer to the point in which her upper body was basically on top of his and then he embraced her. Hilda returned the hug and buried her face in his chest. "And now, I'll try to resume it, if you don't mind." He told her, closing his eyes and leaning his chin atop her head.

"I wonder if your dream had something to do with a certain blonde gym leader."

"Maybe... Yes. But it's not what you think."

The girl rolled her eyes at how nervous and rushed sounded his last sentence. "You don't have to tell me that, but I do want to know how things are going between you two"

The man opened his eyes and sighed. "I'm not sure anymore. One day we are just friends who argue and play like teens, the next we are a sort of intimate lovers or something like that and the day after, she dates somebody else. I think Elesa only wants to fool around."

"But your relationship has been like you just described it since I met both of you. The times I have seen you two making out desperately can't be counted, and you aren't a couple yet?"

"We have been like this for two years. She is the one who doesn't want us to be in a committed relationship."

"Did she give a reason?"

"I have spoken to her about why we aren't a couple several times, but it generally ends in an argument, and I mean a real one, not like the ones we usually have for fun, so I never got a reason"

"And why don't you stop this? Two years is a lot of time."

"Because it's not so easy, I really like her. It's more than a simple crush, Hilda."

The trainer noticed the mild sad tone in his voice. He was trying to hide it, but she knew him very well. "Well, I don't think Elesa just wants to... fool around. She could do that with other men, and I don't claim to be an expert, but you don't fool around with someone for two years."

There were a few seconds of silence after the girl spoke. She was starting to regret about her question. If she had known that the Subway Boss would be so affected by her doubt, she wouldn't have asked in first place.

"I don't know if it would be okay to tell you this, but in spite of all the making out, we never... you know..."

"... You have to be kidding"

"I'm not."

"What?!" Hilda lifted her upper body a little to look at Emmet. "Then she's not fooling around as you suppose, idiot. If you aren't kidding, this must be important for her!"

"And why does she date other men? Why does she ruin everything without reasons?"

"... Well, I'm not the one who should answer that." Noticing his gloomy expression, she tightened the hug and tucked her head underneath his chin again. "I'm sorry for asking about her."

"Don't be, I need to speak about this matter every now and then, otherwise, I would go crazy, but let's change the subject. How is it going between you and my brother? And you know what I mean."

"Why do you insist? I don't like Ingo in that way, so cut it off."

"You always tell me the same, but you can't lie to me. I'm not as stupid as I look."

Hilda let go and got up from the bed, ending the embrace. "We aren't having this conversation again. Go and have breakfast."

The Subway Boss sat up, smirking at her. "I'll go if you admit that you love him"

The trainer rubbed her temples and grunted ferociously. "I'm not in love with him, do you understand?" She hissed.

"Don't get mad at me! I'm just trying to help... It's obvious that you like him, at least for me. I don't want to annoy you, but just listen..." The man paused and waited for a sign of permission to continue. Hilda took a deep breath and nodded dejectedly. "We had a small talk at night about Ingo. Although all I said was true, you need to know that he is capable of being physically expressive. If he takes such a habit with you, then feel valuable, because it could just mean exactly that."

Those words were so well-timed. Hilda wondered if he knew something he shouldn't or if the man had already assumed that her aim was to get closer to the older Subway Boss. Even though their displays of affection had just developed and weren't a habit, a more meaningful relationship was hinted from them.

"You are trying to tell me affection is the 'ultimate proof' for him?" She asked with noticeable interest, adding quotations marks with her fingers.

"Yes, and I'm also telling you that his physical actions are more intense than you think. Keep it in mind, because I'm sure you want to know if he cares about you."

She tensed up considerably. "You are scaring me. Why do you...?"

"I just need glasses, Hilda. I'm not blind."

Looking at a random direction, the girl regained her usual calm posture. "... It's almost half past six. You two are going to be late."

"Oh, right." The man moved aside the covers and got up from the bed. "Tell Ingo that I don't feel like eating. I'll have a quick shower instead."

Without further questions, Hilda nodded and left the room, closing the door. She went down the hall until she reached the living-room, took her forgotten cap which was still on the couch and put it on. Subsequently, she went to the kitchen and rested her left arm on the arch, crossing them.

"He's going to have a shower. No breakfast"

The already fully dressed man left two steamy cups on the table and turned around to look at her. "As I figured. His teeth must be aching."

"Yeah, I supposed the same. What else could interfere between him and food?"

"I get your point." The Subway Boss chuckled. He turned around once more and sat down at the table, putting his hands around one of the cups. "Sit wherever you want and eat something."

Hilda walked to the table and sat in front of him. There was a bowl of fruits, a plate with some toast and the remaining cup of coffee which obviously was prepared for her. She sipped the coffee and let out a soft delighted moan. "Did you prepare this by coincidence or what? Because it's so made for me." The young girl took a big gulp, reached out for a piece of toast and gave it a bite.

"Actually, you told me how you like it months ago."

She swallowed and left the toast next to the cup. "You still remember? No, wait. You paid attention to that?"

"Why wouldn't I pay attention? Of course I did, and it is something hard to forget. You like coffee the same way Emmet does: sickly sweet, almost repulsive."

"Hey, you like sweet coffee too."

"Yes, but normally sweet." He said with emphasis, somehow teasing her.

Hilda smiled and looked down, putting her hands around the cup to feel some warmth.

"And tell me, why wouldn't I pay attention?"

The girl rested half of his arm on the table and her gaze returned to Ingo. "Well, if I were you, I probably wouldn't listen to all I say. Sometimes I would just nod my head or something; it must be hard listening to absolutely all stupid and random things I often comment."

"There is no need to do that. I found your comments entertaining, not stupid." He paused and sipped his coffee. "I live with Emmet and he does say brainless things most of the time, yet I enjoy his company as much as yours."

"Ah, you are comparing me with your brother?"

"I usually do that. You are so alike in many ways, but he is far more childish despite his age while you are more... mature, and that is why I enjoy your company too."

"Your brother is lovely like a baby pokémon..." She trailed off. "But I believed you like to spend time with me because I'm basically your younger brother in a more mature version?" Hilda kind of questioned.

"No, you are you. My brother is my brother. Sometimes you remind me of him, that is all."

"Well, whatever, you admitted I'm the joy of your life."

The man in black laughed heartily. Much of their conversations always included laughter, even from him. "Those words never left my mouth."

"How weird, because that's exactly what I heart." She assured mockingly and then drank the rest of the coffee, her attention coming to the half-eaten toast. Once finished, Hilda sensed his eyes on her. He was smiling and looking at her in an odd, but not obnoxious manner. "What I did was typical from him, right?"

"Twisting words to your convenience? No, Emmet would never do such a thing."

Hilda narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm while Ingo took the last gulp. "Are you going to deny it?"

"No, in fact, it is true, especially when you come for a beating up."

"... Yeah, don't even mention it." She pointed out.

Her voice held a tint of anger mixed with sadness, but it wasn't related with his joke nor previous defeats. She hadn't gotten upset before by this so it was something more and Ingo noted it. His first thought was about the League and her non-exposed worry. He probably hit a weak spot without intention.

Feeling guilty, his gloved hand travelled to hers to pet it warmly. "I am sorry."

"No, no, it's not about our battles or what you said."

"I know." He paused and squeezed her hand a bit while her thumb rubbed his. "It is about the Pokémon League, isn't it?"

"... Yes, I'm beginning to feel frustrated and impatient."

Her gaze was lost and he could see fear and concern in those shiny blue eyes. _'She is lying.'_ The Subway Boss wasn't able to understand why his words had a bad effect on her. Maybe it triggered thoughts in her mind about something he didn't know, like a chain, but she obviously wasn't telling the truth and he wanted to find out what she was hiding.

However, the man preferred to play along and not to push the issue. "Don't worry, you are going to train and the time will come. Just relax."

Hilda looked at him and smiled sadly. He returned the smile but her gloominess didn't go unnoticed. In an attempt to comfort her, Ingo interlaced their fingers together and caressed her thumb with his the same way she did. "That last sentence sounded like something you would tell me."

A sincere short laugh escaped from the trainer's mouth. "Yes, definitely."

Both of them smiled fondly to each other, their eyes didn't look away for a few seconds. They only realized Emmet was there when he cleared his throat. Immediately, their hands drew aside in the blink of an eye.

"Am I interrupting?" The man in white asked jestingly.

Hilda blushed fairly and pretended she didn't hear his question, standing up quickly and taking the cups. She rushed to the sink and started to wash them. The older twin opened his mouth to say something; anything, but he couldn't formulate an answer, so he closed it again.

"If you wanted private time, you could have just asked for it."

"Emmet, don't be stupid, we were only talking."

"Yeah, sure..." The younger twin laughed blatantly and glanced at Hilda who was leaning against a kitchen cabinet with rosy cheeks. "We better leave now, it's quarter to seven."

"Let's go, then." Ingo suggested and stood up, walking out of the kitchen promptly.

Hilda stared at the remaining twin, sending him daggers. "When the moment comes, I'm going to bite you so hard that I'll draw out blood from your pale and fragile skin." She hissed sadistically.

"For making both of you feel uncomfortable or for interrupting?"

Hilda grunted and ignored his question. She followed the older twin and Emmet trailed after her, giggling madly. Ingo opened the door and the three left the apartment.

* * *

The cloudy morning flew by. Hilda had spent it with Emmet like she promised and both of them had a great time. It had been a while from their last battle, so they decided to have a friendly encounter free of the imposed rules: one versus one. The battle was equalized; her Bisharp and his Eelektross provoked and received the same damage. If somebody had watched, said person couldn't have predicted who would win, but even so, she narrowly lost.

The rest of the morning consisted in random - frequently idiotic - talks, sometimes about Elesa and then about Ingo. Eventually, all led to a war of licks and bites which Hilda miserably lost too, in spite of putting up a good fight. When a challenger came into the car, the young trainer and the Subway Boss would stop their 'little quarrel' and pretend to be sophisticated and serious people for some minutes and Hilda would watch the encounters, like a small break.

Expectedly, most of them weren't a big deal, but a few did caused interest in her. For example, the last battle. An Ace Trainer who managed to stand during more than a good ten minutes. Hilda felt identified with him, he did his best and he seemed to have a chance to win, but in the end, the trainer lost.

She was amazed with him and his team, probably double battles were his facility. They exchange some words, so Hilda took the opportunity to congratulate him and then he left when the train came to a stop. According to Emmet, the trainer was flirting with Hilda and she didn't do anything to stop him. They had argued about that and her 'infidelity' for a long time, and apparently, he didn't have intentions on dropping the subject.

"I can't believe you cheated on my brother." He told her while they were walking to Ingo's office.

"Enough! I didn't cheat on nobody and you know it!" The blue eyed girl yelled for what felt like the thousandth time. She was getting a little pissed off, hence the girl was squeezing unwittingly the bag full of snacks she was carrying.

"I was there! You were flirting with him!"

"It isn't possible you are serious about this!" She abruptly stopped walking and so did he. The young trainer sighed deeply and left the bag on the floor, clenching both fists at her sides. "First: I don't like Ingo in that way. Second: _He_ doesn't like me in that way, meaning there's no one to be unfaithful to, and third: That boy was flirting with me, BUT I WASN'T!"

The younger Subway Boss blinked twice at her, then he leant forward to match height and raising his hand to her face level, he touched her nose with his index finger, making a 'bip' sound.

Hilda's eyes widened in a blank expression, and grunting, she tried to tackle him, but it theoretically ended in a hug because the man didn't feel a thing. He let out a cackle at her pathetic tackle attempt, petting her back, and still 'hugging him', she yielded in laughter too. It was impossible to get mad at him, no matter how annoying he could be.

"You are an idiot." She told him, her voice muffled by his body.

"Proudly."

She let go and grabbed the bag again.

"Come on, I need my personal dose of snacks."

They kept walking until they reached the office.

Emmet was the first to enter.

"Honey, I'm home." Pause. "Oh, I'm sorry, that was your line, Hilda"

The girl walked in from behind the man, smacking his back in the process and mumbling the most artificial 'sorry' ever heart. Ingo couldn't help smiling at that scene.

"Well done." He congratulated the trainer.

Her response was a smug smirk. She got closer to the desk and left the bag on it carefully so as not to mess with the papers Ingo hadn't read yet. She took a random snack from the bag and went to the couch. Shortly after, the younger twin joined her.

"Do you want some?"

"No, thank you. That damn tooth is ruining my appetite."

"Crap, I forgot about your pain." Her eyes travelled to the bag on the desk. "Well, I guess those snacks won't be eaten."

"Snacks? That is what you are having for lunch?" The older twin asked from the desk, delaying his reading.

"You only have a cup of coffee with who knows what rubbish, so don't you dare to reprehend me"

He shrugged his shoulders and resumed his reading. "Fair enough."

There was a brief moment of silence, until somebody pushed the door open aggressively. Elesa entered the room, slammed the door and stood there, looking at Ingo with scorching hate. "You so owe me."

The man's gaze never left the report. "Nice to have you here, Elesa." He answered sarcastically. "I sense you are quite moody today."

Hilda and Emmet didn't understand a thing, but they were paying attention as if their life depended on that scene. It was like a movie for them, just replaced popcorn by a package of snacks.

"What were you expecting? I had plans and now I have to babysit!"

His gaze finally landed on the model. "I didn't threaten you with a gun, I just asked for a favor, if you didn't want to do it..."

"Don't say it!" She sighed and touched her forehead, lowering her tone. "I'm already here."

"Guys, what is happening?" The younger twin interrupted.

"Let me explain this: We can't be absent at the same time, it would be problematic, so I can't go with you to your appointment. On the other hand, you really need to go with somebody else because you will be anesthetized and that could be dangerous. The dentist told you to go with a person of legal age for your own good... Do I have to say more?"

"No, it was clearer than water."

Elesa leaned against the wall, crossing her arms and legs. "I don't understand, Ingo. Is he your brother or your little child?"

The man in white tried to ignore the double sense in Elesa's question. He had been called 'child' before, but in an acceptable way, as if it were his main virtue. On the contrary, this time was almost an insult.

"If he is my father, then Hilda could be my mother!" He joked in an attempt to ventilate his mild hurt. What was better than disturbing the quiet girl?

Hilda languidly turned her head and sent him a murdering stare. Seconds later, a can of soda flew across the room and hit him violently, courtesy of Ingo. The girl began to laugh hysterically; she wasn't expecting something like that to happen.

"You two can't stand a joke." The attacked man said with a grin, resting himself on the trainer beside him.

When she managed to calm down, she grabbed the can and opened it. Before drinking, Hilda raised it in the direction of Ingo, smiling broadly at him, like a toast in his honor. He returned the smile enthusiastically and then moved away the report he didn't finish reading.

He got up and looked at Elesa, who had shown rather indifferent. "It's time to come back to work, which means you should leave with my brother."

"Fine." The model replied with a poisonous tongue. "You." She pointed at the agonizing man resting on the young trainer. "Let's go, now."

No response came.

"Aren't you listening? Hurry up!"

The Subway Boss seemed to be electrocuted by a discharge after she yelled. Reluctantly, he stood up, sighing heavily. "Those painkillers aren't killing anything but my brain." He mumbled to no one in particular. The man took off his cap, coat and gloves and hung them in the rack.

"HURRY UP!"

"Ok, ok, let's go."

He rushed to the door and opened it for her. She quickly walked out of the office.

"Good luck." Hilda chirped from the couch, waving.

He waved back at her, smiling weakly and then trailed after Elesa, closing the door.

The blue eyed girl sipped the soda for the last time and threw the empty can into the trash near the desk. "I have never seen her like that, do you know what the problem was?"

"When I asked her this favor at night, Elesa told me she would go out with somebody today. I suppose her anger is due to the missing date."

"No, that's too simple. I mean, any man would wait a day or even more for her. She is a gym leader and a model, after all."

"Well, we will eventually find out later; the break is over so we must be going."

"Oh, sure."

She stood up and both left the office. In an instant, they were stepping into a train, and even though they had walked for quite a while, Hilda couldn't remember what happened exactly on the way. She knew a few words were exchanged and two or possibly three depot agents passed them by, but the rest was unfinished. If she hadn't been recalling certain moments, she wouldn't have forgotten what had just happened.

When the doors automatically closed, Hilda realized she was standing alone and rushed to the spot beside Ingo; not too far yet not uncomfortably close. The train started to move, but she was so busy looking at the man's face out the corner of her eye that she didn't pay attention at all. He seemed a little distracted and concerned; very strange on him.

"You look worried, is everything okay?"

The Subway Boss moved a bit until he was sitting diagonally to have a better view of her. "Yes, everything is fine, I was only thinking."

The blue eyed girl did the same to share a more comfortable talk. "... You are worried." She confirmed. "Is it about Emmet?"

"... Yes, he is really scared of dentists and Elesa was too fretful. I am thinking it probably wasn't a good idea, she is going to make him feel more afraid."

"Oh, you care about him a lot."

"Of course I do, he is my younger brother and my only family." He told her in a tone of confession. It obviously wasn't one, but the affection behind those words resembled a one last minute confession.

"I know, and it's honestly very nice to hear you saying it, but I always thought you didn't like to support his child crazes such as fear of dentists."

"I don't. However, this craze, as you name it, is acceptable for me. He had an extremely painful experience with different dentists which lasted nearly four months. If I were him, I would be scared of them too."

"Four months? What the heck did they do?"

"Well..." He crossed his legs and interlaced his own fingers on top of his knee, looking thoughtful. "I will try to resume it. He needed to have a molar taken out because a small part had broken. The first dentist told him anesthesia didn't work on him after it was injected a few times, so he tried to pull out the tooth without it; my brother could stand the pain for only three minutes, then it became too much and he left." The man uncrossed his legs, taking a more relaxing position. "The second didn't apply the correct amount of anesthetic and when he tried to take out the tooth, a nerve was hit and he received an unwilled punch from my brother. Emmet left too because he didn't want to go through suffering anymore. Finally, the third did it fine with the anesthesia, but he managed to remove the tooth by pieces. The day after, my brother got a severe infection because that man missed a small piece. It lasted almost three months."

Hilda grabbed the sides of her face and squeezed her legs together, shivering at the thought of that situation happening to her. "Oh my god, I'd have killed all those men one by one." She dropped her hands on her thighs. "Your brother is so unlucky sometimes, I swear I'll never use this to tease him."

"He certainly wouldn't laugh at that." Ingo looked up to nothing in particular. "I hope Elesa treats him well."

"She is a good woman, in spite of behaving like that today, I'm sure she'll do the correct."

He nodded and both stayed quiet for a very few minutes. The man didn't apart his gaze from what seemed to be the roof of the car while Hilda looked down at her hands, remembering moments, phrases and questions she had considered to ask him. She knew there was confidence enough, but she didn't wish to disturb the Subway Boss.

_'Do you want to know him better or not? Ask, and if he doesn't answer, just change the subject.'_

Following her own advice, she moved closer to Ingo. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

His attention came back to her. He noticed the sudden approach, but as there wasn't any kind of brushing, it didn't alarm him. "Yes, ask whatever you want." He answered gently.

"How was yours and Emmet's childhood?"

His eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Why do you want to know about that?"

"I-If you prefer not to answer is okay." She stuttered, looking down at her clenching and unclenching hands.

"No, no, don't get me wrong." He stroked kindly one of her nervous hands. "I just wasn't expecting that question in particular." He murmured in a warm manner and then removed his hand. "What would you like to know?"

"Mmm, let's see..." Hilda trailed off, getting closer to the Subway Boss, their legs brushing slightly. "I haven't talked this with Emmet, so you could tell me the basics because I really have no idea. You two know a lot of me, but it's not mutual, especially speaking about you."

"Yes, you are right, it isn't so fair." He agreed, barely shifting at the contact. "We have only talked about this with Elesa; she is quite a good listener when she isn't angry..." The Subway Boss began to tap his fingers on his leg, focusing his gaze there. "First off, we didn't have a happy childhood... Do you want me to continue?"

His soft grey eyes searched for her shiny blue ones, meeting them right away. Hilda saw his intention in them. He wasn't asking to show discontent with this subject and stop talking, he was asking because he needed to be heard. Ingo wanted to make sure she truly wished to know about him.

"Yes, go ahead, please. If you don't want to tell me all details, just tell me the most important."

He clutched his thighs softly and let out an almost inaudible sigh. Ingo didn't feel awkward, but he usually didn't speak neither about his past nor his problems with anybody aside from Elesa - rarely - and his younger twin.

"We used to live in Anville Town with our father. When we were three years old, our mother abandoned us because she was fed up of her bad choice of a husband." He paused to shake his head languidly. "But I don't blame her, I would have left too if I had had the chance." The man uttered ironically.

Seeing where all was going, Hilda bit her lower lip. She always knew there was a well-hidden and dismal lapse in their life, but it was hard to believe that he was the one telling her.

"Our father was awfully violent, with her and with us. What surprised me most of him was that he could easily tell apart Emmet from me without never paying attention to us. There are just a few who are capable of finding differences between us, ignoring his usual smile and my serious nature. For example, you are one of those."

"Well, it's not so difficult to tell you two apart, you are so different in personality, and there a lot of physical questions too: You are one inch taller, your hair is always neatly-combed while Emmet's is messier, there are very smooth lines below your eyes which can't be seen on him, your voices are..." Hilda stopped her speech and finger counting when she noticed his blank expression. "Am I scaring you?"

He laughed lowly, shaking his head. "A little, but you surprised me a lot too. You are very observative."

"... And he wasn't, right? Your father."

"No. I will never understand how he did it."

"Did he use to... beat you?" Hilda asked with hesitation.

"Not so much, unless I tried to stop him from beating Emmet." He told her with bitterness, clenching his fists. "He used to beat him a lot, enjoying every second." The Subway Boss ran a hand over the side of his face, closing his eyes and trying to calm down. "That was why he distinguished us, he had a favorite victim. He always looked for an excuse to punch or kick him." He said in a calm tone, but his hate couldn't go unnoticed.

When Ingo saw Hilda's terrified face and the way her fist was applying pressure on her chest, he left behind his remorse and decided to skip to the end of his narration. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but he got ahead.

"When we were fourteen, he got terribly sick because he used to... intoxicate himself until he finally died when we were fifteen. We moved to Accumula Town to live with his sister and the rest of her family, our only relatives, but it is complicated to take care of three children and twins, so we left at the age of sixteen... And here we are."

Hilda stayed still, perplexed. There was a lot she wanted to ask, but she couldn't. Speaking about this wasn't easy for him, it was written in all his face. The girl met eyes with him and slowly reached for his hand, caressing all the way to his forearm, repeating the process.

"I'm so sorry Ingo, I didn't..."

"Thank you for listening, I really needed that."

And again, they interlaced fingers, squeezing their hands and caressing with their thumbs. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, until the man in black drew his hand away.

It wasn't healthy at all, he told himself every time that: Stop hugs, strokes, excessive closeness, stop it all. He couldn't take the opportunity to touch her whenever he pleases. It didn't matter how innocent the touch was, it was prohibited. Hilda felt some rejection, but she couldn't expect him to hold her hand all the afternoon.

To start a new talk, the trainer thought that a harmless question related with the previous subject would work. She had a lot to ask him, but she opted for one question that probably wouldn't bring so much bitterness.

"Hey, about what you told me... Is it connected with the way you treat Emmet?"

"What way?"

"You know, he is like a 'giant baby' and you agree with it, usually 'spoiling' him... Alright, that's too exaggerated, but you understand what I'm trying to say." She made sure to add emphasis and quotation marks to show her point.

"Well, as he had a harder time than me, I only want to give him all he should have received. The only thing I try to avoid are his addictions, they make Emmet lose his mind completely."

"Ah, you are speaking about sweets, Joltiks and Elesa."

"And alcohol."

"I KNEW IT! He denied it, but I knew! I wonder which one is the worst."

"I am not sure, all of them have more or less the same effect on him." He half joked and told the truth.

Hilda's lips curved into a smile. They had met seven months ago, she had physically liked him and his way of being had intrigued her to no end, and now, there they were, speaking comfortably to each other. It was a pleasing sensation which increased when she spotted through the door a confident Pokémon Breeder walking in the next car.

"Oh, look, here comes a challenger... Kick his ass and send it back to him by a letter! Come on!"

* * *

The monotonous and colorless waiting room wasn't in deathly silence as it should. Aside from the occasional sound produced by the dental drill in the next room, a certain nervous man was tapping his foot and shifting continuously over the leather-wrapped bench.

Beside him, the short-tempered model was reading a fashion magazine she had taken from a nearly small table. The sound of leather against clothes and foot tapping were beginning to make her blood boil. Lowering the magazine, she leered at Emmet as a warning, but he was so busy planning an escape through the window - the door was too boring - that he didn't noticed.

"BE QUIET!"

The purple haired woman, who had arrived a few minutes ago and was sitting in the corner of the room, looked plaintively at the pair over the rim of the book she had brought. When she received a murderous stare from Elesa, she quickly resumed her reading.

"Sorry, I didn't realize..."

"I can't believe you are scared of dentists!" She spated, throwing the magazine on the table.

"What? No, I'm just feeling a little active." He lied, clutching his forearms nervously. "Why don't we go for a walk? Or, or... Why don't we travel to Sinnoh? From what I heard, it's a nice region!"

Elesa narrowed her eyes at him with loathing. "Shut the hell up and face your fears, you idiot!"

Pouting, the Subway Boss looked down at the floor, then at the stranger woman. She sensed his gaze and looked at him too. "And you? Would you like to travel to Sinnoh?"

The woman's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly, feeling obviously awkward.

Elesa smacked his arm harshly and clasped his shirt, forcing him to focus his eyes on her light-blue ones. "Don't speak with her, and stop being such a moron!" She commanded.

Emmet nodded obediently and stayed as still as shivering person could. Checking the time on the clock in front of her, Elesa grunted. He was supposed to be attended at two and it was almost half past three in the afternoon. What the heck was that dentist doing with his patient?

She crossed her arms and ankles, closing her eyes to relax a little, but it didn't last much. The man beside her grabbed her arm and shook it tenderly until she opened them, successfully getting her attention.

"WHAT?"

"... I'm nervous." He said in a shuddering voice.

"And what do you want me to do about it?!"

The Subway Boss moved closer to her, not leaving a gap between their legs. "Just say something, whatever you want, without anger." He whispered, resting his head softly on her arm.

"... Get off or I'm going to rip that tooth from your mouth with a pair of pliers."

Hurt, he lifted his head and she moved away from him.

Suddenly, the door that would lead him to hell opened and an old man came out. The elderly went through the other visible door and left. Leaning out, the dentist pointed to Emmet and made a motion with his hand gently, asking him to enter.

"I changed my mind." He stood up and pointed to the other door, grinning. "I'm going home."

"OH, NO, YOU WON'T!" Elesa yelled and stood up, grabbing his arm aggressively when he started to walk. "I waited for two hours, so get in there NOW."

"But I can't! Don't make me enter there, I can't."

The dentist and the purple haired woman watched their quarrel with startled expressions. Neither of them wanted to interrupt.

"I swear, if you don't obey, I'll burn down your hair!"

"B-But you don't understand..."

"ENTER!"

"... I'll do it if you come with me." The terrified man looked at her with pleading eyes, desperately searching for sympathy.

"Forget it, I don't have to do that!"

Shivering notably, he turned around, facing the stranger woman. "Would you enter with me?"

"Please, stop talking to me or I'll call the police!" The frightened woman threatened, using the book as a shield.

The gym leader turned him around, grabbing his shirt. "I can feel a migraine coming, so I recommend you to enter that room if you want to keep your life!"

"Please, please! I can't do it alone, I need you there!" He begged on the verge of kneeling down for her.

"FINE! FINE! BUT GET IN THERE FOR ONCE AND ALL!" Elesa cried out, grimacing and touching her forehead.

She was going to receive a feral squeeze, but she pushed Emmet away; not the best moment for a Beartic hug.

Both of them walked into the other room, passing by the startled dentist and leaving a psychologically traumatized woman on the waiting room.

* * *

It had been a very though afternoon, and sadly, it hadn't reached its ending yet. The model wasn't sure how much more she could tolerate, but at least she had tried... mainly.

Elesa pushed open the apartment door. She stepped in, threw the key in the nearby cupboard and walked towards the couch to sit down for a while.

Shortly after, Emmet walked in, tottering the slightest bit. He closed the door without turning around and then his back slumped on it. Grinning, he watched Elesa through half-lidded eyes. She could tell the cheerful man was still disoriented since he had been anesthetized correctly as he had implored to the dentist uncountable times.

"Take that damn piece of cotton out of your mouth, I didn't understand anything of what you said in all the way."

"OKAY!"

Emmet removed the bloodstained piece of cotton as he was told. Not knowing what to do with it next, he tossed the cotton haphazardly across the room, screaming a chirpy and senseless 'weee' when it collided with one of the walls. Elesa made a disgusted face at that sight. White walls and blood didn't look nice.

"Oh god, I can't feel my face." He slapped his cheek softly many times. "Awesome! ELESA, SLAP ME!"

"Don't say it twice."

He kept slapping his cheek excitedly, his eyes gazing up as if he had made an essential discovery for mankind. At some point, the gym leader got tired, rushed to him and stopped him angrily. "I can see why Ingo asked me to stay. You are even more stupid than usual when you are drugged."

The smile quickly disappeared from his face. "You have been insulting me all day long, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just sick of you and your clumsiness!"

"What? Why? I'm the one who should be fed up of you! But nooo!" The man grabbed her arms and pushed her back while he staggered, forcing Elesa to slowly walk backwards until she bump into the couch. "I take every single thing you do without complaining."

The model clutched his hands and removed them. "It's not my fault you are so submissive."

He swallowed hard and ignored her comment. "... There is no reason to be mad at me. I treat you very well and you don't even deserve it."

"Look, I'm not having an argument with a drugged idiot right now, so drop it. If you don't want to be insulted then don't talk to me!"

She sat on the couch, grabbing the remote control furiously and pushing Emmet aside to clear the way between her eyes and the TV. He lost a little his balance but easily caught hold of the small table as not to fall.

"Alright, as you wish." The dazed man mumbled.

He turned around and went to the kitchen. His head felt heavy and it was very difficult to articulate words in a consistent sentence or walk normally, but nothing stopped him from opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of wine. From her sitting position on the couch, Elesa heard the unmistakable and familiar sound of a glass bottle full of alcohol hitting softly something.

_'Holly crap.'_ She ran to the kitchen and snatched the bottle from Emmet's hands.

"ARE YOU INSANE!? YOU CAN'T DRINK UNDER THE EFFECTS OF ANESTHESIA!"

He looked at her like a kid who had been reprehended unfairly. "But I'm never at home this early, why can't I drink in my own apartment?"

By the time he ended talking, Elesa had already put back the drink in the fridge. She made a murderous serious expression, narrowing her eyes at him. "Sit in the living room when I may see your movements."

Complying, he followed the gym leader and sat close to her. To spend more time and overcome the rest of the day, she started to zap through the channels, looking for something to distract her, or preferably, to distract Emmet.

"I'm feeling sleepy, can I take a nap?"

"It's 6:00 p.m., but do whatever you want."

"Would you yell at me if I use your lap as a pillow?"

Elesa exhaled deeply through her nose. "Until my throat hurts, so don't even think about it and move away, you are too close."

The Subway Boss obeyed, as he had been doing all the afternoon, and slipped onto the couch to the opposite end. His chest ached a little after hearing her words. Never before she had complain about closeness, his personality or his 'clumsiness'. She had allowed him to sleep on her lap several times, even in public, and she was refusing to do it in private when they usually weren't so limited with their touch due to the absence of spectators.

_'What if she finally got a serious relationship with some other man and she is trying to dismiss me? What if she is bored of me?'_ He thought, increasing the pain in his chest. No matter how bad she acted with him or how many men she dated, although it all hurt immensely, nothing hurt more than thinking about Elesa ending their 'relationship'.

Emmet admitted it was a sickening one, but he needed her so much that it was enough. He had learnt to conform with it, even though the man ached for a real relationship with her.

How would it be to know if they have a future together? How would it feel to have her for him and only him? He dreamt of that, he suffered trying to keep their attempt of relationship, hoping to make it real one day. He knew how demeaning was his acceptance, but if he had this, he was able to have hopes, whereas if he lost it, there wasn't anything to wait for.

Voiceless minutes went by, the TV being the only source of sound. Emmet was closer to fall asleep every minute, not sure if the reason was anesthesia or he simply felt tired and sleepy. Either way, he didn't want to fall asleep without talking to her first; his insecurity would gnaw his dreams.

Staring dolefully at her, he awaited to be noticed again but she had no intention on moving away her eyes from the trashy film.

"... You were going date another man. That was your plan, wasn't it?"

"None of your business."

"And that's why you are angry with me, I made it impossible?"

"Shut your mouth, I'm trying to listen." She hissed, her eyes not looking away from the TV.

The Subway Boss gave up and laid on the backrest._ 'She doesn't even look at me.'_ He focused his tired eyes on the film, but his eyelids seemed so heavy that he became less aware of his surroundings. When he was about to sleep in, through that point in which you don't know if you are dreaming or thinking, Elesa grabbed his arm and forced him to move closer.

He snapped his eyes open and then he was gently pushed down, his head landing on her lap. The confused man turned on his back to glance at her.

"Be careful, don't make me change my mind." Elesa suggested seriously, almost like a warning.

Emmet smiled gratefully at the only sort of 'kind' action she did. The model most probably knew the emotional pain she was causing. In spite of her inexplicable anger, Elesa wasn't a heartless person.

For more than half an hour, no words were said. He had fallen asleep and she was paying minimal attention to the terrible teen movie. The gym leader wondered why she hadn't changed the channel, but there wasn't a specific reason, so she made herself as comfortable as a cushion could, resigning and closing her eyes for a while.

She must have fallen asleep too, because when her eyes shot open for unknown reasons, there was a large gap in her mind after the moment she closed her eyes. The model could see through the picture window that it was very dark outside and the sudden pain she felt on her neck and the numbness in her legs hinted a nap too.

Elesa stretched her upper body, stroking and massaging her neck. She wanted to do the same with her legs, but Emmet's head prevented it for at least one of them. Eying him, she noticed his shoes were on the floor and he was laying on his back with bent legs and his feet on the couch. _'Ah, then he woke up at some point.'_

Her eyes travelled all the way to that small angelical smile he always had while sleeping. "How do you do that?" She asked in a whisper, reaching out to touch tenderly his face with her fingertips. She caressed his cheek lovingly, sliding her hand down to the side of his neck. Elesa acknowledged that if he woke up and found her doing such a thing, all her effort would be in vain, because it was always the same, a simple caress slowly would lead to passionate kissing and neither him nor her would hinder it until they reach 'the limit.'

Nevertheless, she was beginning to consider the idea of sending her plan of restraint to hell. The purpose was to stop hurting him, but in the end, wasn't she hurting him even more? It was a very badly thought plan to mistreat Emmet without reasons. They could have spent their private time together, doing stuff so much more... ahem, interesting.

_'No, don't think like that. I must carry on to make him realize that I'm not a good choice, that he deserves someone better.'_

She brushed slightly the bangs on his forehead, running her hand down his cheek newly and trailing her thumb over his lower lip. _'But... god, you are so cute, how am I going to resist?'_

Her hand stroked his chest and went down his stomach painfully slow. _'I need you so bad, but I can't give in now. It's obvious you were hurt today, but you'll eventually end much more hurt if I don't end this for once and all.'_

No matter how much Elesa debated with herself, she wanted him to wake up and notice her touch to recover the lost time. Her hand contradicted all thoughts and kept caressing his stomach in unfinished circles, making its way down to his belt buckle. The blonde model bit her lip and hesitantly tried to undid it. Who wouldn't wake up at that? She abruptly removed her hand when she sensed voices and movements coming from outside. The door swung open and both Ingo and Hilda showed in. Elesa sighed in relief and thanked them in her mind. If if were not for them, she would have done something really stupid.

_'This means I slept for... More than four hours? Oh, I'm such a mess.'_

"You are still here?" The older twin asked, surprised.

"You are talking to me, but no, I'm not here, so you must me drunk or something."

Hilda laughed at her angry sarcasm. For some reason, she found the gym leader's bad mood artificial and funny.

"Mmm, I see you are still a little rabid."

Smirking, Hilda tugged lightly his coat sleeve and pointed at Elesa's lap. "I think you owe me a lunch."

"I disagree, don't you see the hate in her eyes, Hilda?"

Elesa raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Have you made out today?" Hilda asked sassily, taking a step and putting her hands on her hips.

"WHAT? NO!"

The young girl mumbled a disappointed 'ooh', pouting a little and dropping her arms to her sides. Ingo took some steps forward and bent to match her ear level. "It seems that _you_ owe me a lunch." He practically breathed on her ear, teasing the trainer.

"... Damn it." Hilda cursed, looking at him over her shoulder.

"You two bet on us!?"

"No, you heard wrong."

"Yeah, you must be drunk or something." The older Subway Boss added smugly to complete Hilda's answer, earning a cackle from the girl and a hatred glare from the model. "Did he behave correctly?"

Elesa sighed and shook the man on her lap energetically to wake him. One of her legs was ready to be amputated, she had to stretch it as soon as possible. Shaking him again, Emmet snapped his eyes open and looked at her very confused, as if he was expecting an explanation.

She grabbed his shirt sleeve and desperately pull it, forcing him to sat down. "No, he behaved like an idiot." Elesa paused to stretch her legs, a tingling sensation running over her legs. "I don't know how I managed to stand him. He refused to be attended and even tried to escape."

Being woken up violently and hearing an insult coming from one of the people you love most can't make anyone happy. Eyes downcast, the younger twin touched the scarcely swollen side of his face to hide his emotional distress.

"He had extremely painful experiences with dentists. Don't be so harsh, Elesa." Ingo requested as he made himself comfortable on the armchair.

Sensing his tone, she eyed Emmet and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He actually looked mirthless and it was because of her, again. The more she saw how her attitude affected him, the more Elesa considered a different way to end their twisted relationship.

Softened by his sorrow, the model gave a curt nod. "Well, this time was the other way around: In an attempt to refuse, HE bite the dentist. I think that poor man is going to lose half of his index finger."

"Really? You did that?"

Emmet shrugged his shoulders innocently and looked at his older twin. "I told him to back off and he didn't, but it was better than a punch in the eye. This one was very lucky, he can't complain!" He exclaimed proudly, eliciting a chuckle from Ingo and the blue eyed girl. "Are you staying the night again, Hilda?"

"No, not tonight, I told my mother I would go home. Just came to check on you." She answered and walked towards him when he looked at her with those manipulative puppy eyes. She sat on his lap as if he were some disguised Santa waiting for little children in a shop. The girl threw both arms around his neck and rubbed the safe side of his face with her own sweetly. He embraced her and reciprocated the display of affection. "Don't worry, you'll see me very soon."

With a roll of her eyes, Elesa rested her elbow atop the armrest and her cheek on her fist. Of course she wasn't jealous of Hilda, but their actions reminded her about the wasted afternoon, her addiction for Emmet and... _'What I'm doing here, anyways?'_ She stretched her legs some more. The tingling had gone, so she was ready to come back to her own apartment. She stood up and made her way toward the door. "Alright, I'm outta here. See you then."

"Wait, Elesa, wait!" The younger twin cried and moved Hilda from his lap gently, jogging over to the model, who sent him a questioning glare as she opened the door instead of laughing at his feet covered in two different pair of socks.

"What do you want?"

Emmet leaned his hand on her waist and led her out, trailing after her and closing the door. Once outside, he fixed his grey eyes on her light-blue ones and haltingly caressed her face with one hand. She felt like melting, it was impossible to ignore the sadness reflected on them.

He took a small breath and swallowed hard, trying to think of a proper question. "... May I kiss your cheek, please?"

Her eyes filled with sympathy. Elesa opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she didn't answer and looked away from him. Not finding words, she just closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, showing him the allowed area, the same cheek he hadn't touched. It was his chance, he couldn't ruin it. Carefully, he planted a soft moist kiss on her cheek once... twice... three times... until he managed to earn an almost inaudible whimper from the back of her throat. That only encouraged him to trail smooth kisses along her jawline, his lips making its way down her neck as Elesa fought the urge to hug him and smash their lips together.

His mouth began to apply more pressure and he placed his free hand on her lower back, bringing her closer to his body to create some friction between them. By the time their middles were pressed against each other and his lips made its way to her cheek again, dragging until the corner of hers were reached, she regained enough willpower to grunt and shove Emmet sharply. His back collided with the door, causing a loud sound to echo in the large hall.

He couldn't do anything aside from stare at her with a hurt expression. The gym leader saw it, but she only stepped back a little not to leap into his arms and ask for forgiveness hysterically. Their gazes met for some seconds until Elesa turned around and ran toward the stairs as fast as she could, going downstairs and out of his sight. The Subway Boss felt as if a hand were squeezing his heart mercilessly. What was he supposed to do? Run after her? Stay outside so that his brother and friend don't see him suffer? No, those didn't seem good ideas- He opted for getting back into the apartment quickly. His twin was still sitting on the armchair while Hilda was sitting on its armrest, her hands shyly between her thighs. They obviously heard the loud thud because both of them were looking at him with concern.

"Did something happen?" Ingo asked in spite of knowing his answer.

"No, no, why do you ask?"

"You look depressed..." Hilda commented, very worried about him.

"Oh, no, it's just that... The wound is starting to ache as that damn dentist said and it bothers me a little."

Both of them knew it was true, but that wasn't the reason of his noticeable sadness. At that moment, Hilda decided not to speak anymore and Ingo to simply play along; he would talk to him when the opportunity arises. "Did he prescribed some painkillers?"

"According to him, the pain will be bearable, thus it's not necessary." The younger twin informed, walking up to Hilda. He kissed her cheek softly and she smiled at him. "I'm going to sleep, be careful on the way home."

"Okay, sleep well."

He took his shoes and went down the hall, leaving his brother and friend alone.

"He was lying." Hilda claimed, shifting slightly on the armrest to get a better view of the remaining Subway Boss.

"Indeed."

As she was relatively 'taller' than him in that position, the girl took the chance to grab his cap. It wasn't on purpose, in fact, it was rather instinctively. "What do you think that happened outside?"

He sighed and focused his gaze on the stolen cap. "I don't know, but I can assure he is going to tell me later."

"I hope all gets better, it really makes me sad when he is like that." She said while fidgeting with the cap. No more comments came from their mouths. It seemed the older twin was affected too. "What would you say if I stay the night again?" Hilda randomly asked to hear his voice again and make him forget for a while.

"I wouldn't mind at all."

"Well, next time I'm staying then." She stated, twirling his cap on one finger.

For some reason, that made Ingo a little nervous. Both what she told him and the spinning cap, but in this case, he could only do something about the cap. He reached out to take it back and she quickly stood up, moving away from him. "I understand why you don't let me have your cap while you work, but why can't I have it here, uh? You lose authority without your beloved cap?" Hilda scoffed with a smirk.

The man barely furrowed his eyebrows. "Authority has nothing to do with a simple cap, I just don't like to be teased with it. May I have it back, please?"

"Fine." She whined, throwing him the cap in a frisbee-style. "I must go, anyways."

"Shall I go down with you?" He offered, getting up and taking enough steps to be in front of her.

"No, thanks, it's not necessary..." The trainer headed to the door, taking the handle. "I'll see you soon."

"Hilda, wait, come here."

She looked at him over her shoulder and let go of the handle to fulfil the order. "Yeah?"

The man in black pulled out his Xtransceiver. "You are going to register me and send me a message when you get home."

She grinned mischievously at him, pulling out hers. "You'll have to register me too... meaning I'll give you a call whenever I want."

"Alright, I will take the risk." He chuckled cordially.

Once that was done, Hilda feinted to leave and paused, turning around. She got closer to Ingo and practically tackled him in a hug, standing on her toes to throw her arms around his neck. Though he was taken by surprise and he had promised himself to stop physical acts of affection, he didn't doubt for a second, embracing her tenderly. When the blue eyed girl let go, the Subway Boss took the opportunity to bent over and kiss her cheek warmly, eliciting a soft gasp from her. He quickly kiss it again and without moving his head, he weakly nuzzled her temple. "Be careful." He whispered near her ear.

Hilda couldn't help clutching his shoulders after his hot breath brushed against her face. She nodded slowly and kissed him back on the cheek amorously and just like that, they moved apart in silence.

The trainer smiled coyly and walked to the door, her face all red as a tomato. "Bye."

"Bye. Don't forget about the message, please."

"I won't."

She smiled at him one last time and left. Ingo let out a breath he was holding without realizing. It was incredible how she managed to psych him out and make his insides go crazy. _'No, definitely, I can't do anything more than resist.'_ He sighed and went down the hall; he wasn't going to neither read nor sign anything, there was a more important problem he needed to fix.

The man knocked at his twin's room. "Emmet, I know you are still awake and something happened to you..." He trailed off, expecting and answer, but as he didn't receive one, Ingo continued his speech. "I am not going to be in the study-room, so if you want to speak, feel free to come by my room."

He stood there for a while, waiting for a sign of his brother. It wasn't possible that Emmet had fallen asleep so fast if he was depressed, but he couldn't even hear the slightest sound coming from inside. Not feeling like invading his privacy, he went to his room. Eventually, his brother would show up if his problem was so serious.

The day had been very nice indeed, but a little dense considering the man had only slept two hours. Although he didn't want to sleep yet, lying on the bed to relax a little sounded like the most brilliant plan. He removed his uniform and put on a pair of black pants and a grey T-shirt. Before getting under the covers, he made sure all the removed clothes were on the right place and then proceed to make himself comfortable in bed, folding his arms behind his head.

He recalled all moments with Hilda: Their legs brushing, the kiss on the forehead, her hugs, and their hands interlaced, talks and the kiss he planted on her cheek. No, he absolutely was doing a bad job. Ban physical affection? Impossible. Like Ingo had assumed, he could just try to resist and stop wondering if this was mutual, because it obviously wasn't. Hilda would choose a boy of sixteen or seventeen years old, why would she be interested in a man twice her age?

It was a shame, such a perfect person for him and he couldn't allow himself to try to have her, at least. There were lots of dilemmas in his poor saturated mind. As a matter of fact, his feelings for Hilda implied attraction in a critical high level, but it wasn't just that. The Subway Boss actually felt something very strong for her because it wasn't all about her body which he found incredibly alluring, it was about her as a person. Even though she sometimes behaved like the teenager she was, most of the time, Hilda resembled a mature and smart girl and aside from his twin, he couldn't think of another person he enjoyed talking to so much.

Ingo had considered the idea of being in love with her several times and he wasn't sure if it made his situation more acceptable or even worse. As love is somehow connected with passion, the feeling was the same: he desired a very young girl.

Besides, he had never been in love in his whole life, so how could he know?

Whatever he was feeling, either love or just 'a crush', it was wrong and couldn't be accepted. He had to struggle as not to fall into the dark sickening intentions produced by his own body, no matter his urges or... special needs.

... Right?

A knock at the door caused his body to jump a bit.

"Are you decent?"

The man laughed. Of course his twin would finally show up, it was a habit for both to speak in his bed. He actually didn't know why they had separated rooms because Emmet slept in his brother's frequently. "Yes, I am, come in."

The younger twin swung the door open and quickly close it again once he was inside. Meanwhile, Ingo was making some space for him, moving the covers so he could get under them too. He approached the bed and joined him, laying on his side next to his brother. Ingo realized that his problem was quite serious. When he chose to lay next to him, it meant exactly that. He needed to talk about the issue, otherwise, he would have laid on the foot of the bed and just comment random subjects until falling asleep, probably without covering himself.

"There's a problem with Elesa, isn't it?" The older twin guessed, his eyes on the ceiling. In his peripheral vision, he saw Emmet nodding and clutching the sheets in front of his mouth. "Tell me what happened." He asked gently.

"... Well, you noticed she was kind of moody." He started with a lightly muffled voice, moving the sheets a bit so he could speak clearly. "I don't know what the problem itself was, but she insulted me all day long, and I mean real insults, as if she wanted to hurt me. When we were outside, I tried to... kiss her. She pushed me violently against the door to stop me and then left without saying a word."

"It sounds incomplete, aren't you forgetting some important details? For example, I am sure you asked about her anger, what did she tell you?"

His question was answered with silence. At first, Ingo believed his twin was taking time to answer properly, but after several seconds, he glanced at him and caught sight of Emmet's watery eyes.

By obvious reasons, they used to cry a lot in the past. During childhood and half of their adolescence, most tears had been shed, especially speaking of the younger of them who was the most dejected and vulnerable one. Ingo hadn't cried again since his father died, and so hadn't his brother, but he still was the most sensitive and his eyes would fill with tears that, in the end, would never fall down his face. It was how he exposed his higher point of depression.

And how the older of them felt his life collapse. He suffered at that mere sight.

"She is fed up of me..." Emmet whispered, his grieved tone no longer unnoticed. "Should I... change? Am I that childish?"

The older of them hadn't heart nor seen his brother so hopeless and devastated for a very long time. Turning on his side, Ingo locked eyes with him. "You don't have to change anything, you are just fine, and if she can't see that, probably somebody else will." He reached out to run a hand through his twin's hair. "Most people have important and complex defects on their personalities that need to correct, or at least, improve. I can assure you aren't one of those."

He didn't know where the speech came from, but it was true for him and he earned a sincere smile from his brother, the tears looking more invisible in his grey eyes. "Thank you." And the smile disappeared just as it came. "But the big problem is... I don't want someone else. I'm in love with her and I'm aware you think this is just passion, but it's not what it looks like."

"Sorry, I have never been in love. I don't know how it feels or how to correctly identify it."

"Oh, don't be silly! You are in love right now!" Emmet exclaimed, narrowing his eyes and pushing his brother's chest with the palm of his hand rather strongly.

"I am not! And we aren't talking about that" The older twin yelled back, frustrated and not feeling like having another conversation about that issue as almost every night. "Look, if you wish to carry on with your twisted relationship with Elesa, do it. I just hope you are conscious of the pain you may have to overcome later."

"Believe me, I would suffer more without her... and that's the hardest part for me." He closed his eyes and tucked his hands under his face, taking a sleeping position. "Enough for today, I don't want to speak more about Elesa, she is my main subject most nights."

"As you wish."

Ingo didn't looked away from his younger brother. He wanted to make sure Emmet was feeling better as it seemed and not pretending. He didn't open his eyes again, but Ingo could tell he was still awake. "Thanks for listening. You are an excellent brother."

"You are welcome." He ran a hand through his twin's hair once more. "Do you feel better?"

"Yeah, considerably better... and sleepy, but if you want to speak about Hilda and how much you love her..."

"Oh, shut your mouth and sleep." The older Subway Boss barked and turned on his side angrily, his back to Emmet.

"Alright. Can I put my leg over you, Ingo?"

"Don't you dare."

"But I like sleeping in that position! Why do you think there are two pillows in my bed?"

"Forget it, I said no."

"Come on! I don't snore, I don't kick, I don't drool and the most important, I don't sweat in my sleep! I deserve to put my leg over you!"

"NO!"

"I'll pay you!"

Ingo glanced at his twin over his shoulder viciously only to found him with open eyes and a blank expression. In response, a toothy broad smile appeared on his face in an attempt to persuade him and dispel his glare, though to no avail as his older brother kept glaring. "Emmet, no!"

Defeated, he whined a little and his twin finally looked away, making himself comfortable.

More than half an hour went by. Judging by the almost unlistenable snoring coming from his 'little' brother, Ingo could assume he was the only one awake. He precisely wasn't feeling sleepy, not until he received a particular message. There was no chance he could fall asleep so worried. The Subway Boss shifted lightly, intending to face Emmet, but when he noticed his face uncomfortably close, he opted for simply looking at the ceiling. His thoughts began to wander his mind again, a pair of shiny blue eyes present in all of them... and suddenly, he heard a small device sound. Ingo immediately reached out to his Xtransceiver on the lamp table and checked the screen.

_'Arrived safe and sound! Thanks for everything! I hope you dream about me! (Mainly, I hope you sleep, at least.)_

_P.S: I'll be back this week to stalk both of you._

_Good night!'_

He couldn't help feeling happy while reading, a thin smile forming on his lips against his will. Leaving the communication tool on the table, the Subway Boss positioned as comfortably as he could again.

He was able to sleep now and definitely, he was going to dream about her once more.


End file.
